We were lucky to catch up with Margaret McNair recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Margaret thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear your thoughts about making remote work effective.

As you can imagine, it is challenging to collaborate virtually. As a team, we try our best to stay efficient by using collaborative systems and tools like Trello and Google Chat. We have a solid internal process where we are able to tag each other for various projects. This decreases our need for a lot of meetings.

Another challenge is having two children at home while I work, so it can be hard at times (especially during the summer months) to balance time with them and keep the house quiet while in meetings. However, the benefits far outweigh the challenges! It makes it all worthwhile to be able to pick up my children from school every day, attend school events, and be more present with them.

Besides the obvious benefits, working remotely has really increased my quality of life. Since my husband is in law enforcement, and his schedule is extremely unpredictable, I needed a role that was completely flexible. With this freelance opportunity, I am able to create my own schedule and gain confidence in generating my own revenue.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am Margaret McNair, a freelancer and head of research, content writing, and business process development at InTandem Digital Consulting. I have over 20 years of experience in marketing, spanning across different industries. I have over 10 years of experience in website content writing, research, business development, and design. I have a wonderful, supportive husband and two amazing kids.

A good friend of mine, Julia Maldonado, started InTandem Digital in 2019. InTandem Digital Consulting provides various digital solutions to small and mid-sized businesses. Our portfolio includes: Website Design, Content Writing and Research, Social Media Management, Brand Identity and Design, and Customer Experience Strategy. Since she has brought me on board, I have been able to work from home, which has been such a blessing, learn new and invaluable skills, and really create my own destiny.

We help small business owners establish their online presence or increase their existing brand awareness. I am most proud when a business owner comes to me with an underperforming website, and I am not only able to optimize their site but also show them tangible results. It is very rewarding.

How’d you meet your business partner?

I have known Julia Maldonado since I was in middle school! We were also roommates in college and have a lifelong bond. Julia reached out to me because she knew I was struggling with the idea of going back to work while having two small children. She presented an opportunity for us to work together and help grow her business while teaching me a skill that I could generate income from at the same time.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

When I had my first child, I was very fortunate to have my mother help me with my son. I was able to go back to work quickly and full-time. However, soon after she began to help us full-time, my mom got really sick. She was admitted to the hospital, where she spent quite some time recovering. That was a very hard time for me to transition as a new mom and also worried about losing my own mother. Thankfully, my mom recovered.

When I got pregnant for the second time, I knew I could not ask my mom to watch both kids. My husband and I decided I would stay at home to take care of our children. We were blessed that it was an option for us. So, I gave up my career, and when I began even entertaining the idea of going back into the workforce, I found it harder than ever for someone to give me an opportunity with the large gap on my resume. This is when Julia came to me, asking if I would want to make a career change or be interested in freelancing. I have many years of experience in marketing and customer service, so it was the perfect fit. I am blessed to be able to find a new outlet for my creativity and continue helping other businesses with my knowledge.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.intandemdigital.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/intandemdigital/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/InTandemDigital
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/intandem-digital-consulting/
• Yelp: yelp.com/biz/intandem-digital-consulting-buford
• Other: https://www.google.com/search?q=intandem+digital+consulting&oq=in&aqs=chrome.1.69i60j69i59j69i60j69i61j69i60j69i65l3.2348j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#ip=1

Image Credits
Ashley Akins Photography